Tangled Hearts
by snivygamer97
Summary: What if Rapunzel had younger siblings? What if these siblings were Sora, Roxas, and Ventus? Join Rapunzel, her siblings, and all of their friends together on numerous adventures throughout the Kingdom of Corona and beyond.
1. Story time

This is the story of the lost princess, Rapunzel, and it starts with the sun.

Once upon a time, a single drop of sunlight fell from the heavens. And from this small drop of sun, grew a magic, golden, flower. It had the ability to heal the sick, and injured.

Well, centuries pass and a hop skip and a bump right away there grew a kingdom. The kingdom was ruled by a beloved King and Queen. And the Queen, well she was about to have a baby, and she got sick, really, sick. She was running out of time. And that's when people usually start to look for a miracle. Or in this case, a magic golden flower.

The magic of the golden flower healed the queen. A healthy baby girl, a princess, was born. With beautiful golden hair. I'll give you a hint. That's Rapunzel. To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying lantern into the sky. For that one moment, everything was perfect. And then that moment ended.

Then, a witch broke into the castle and stole the child, just like that... gone. The Kingdom searched and searched, but they could not find the Princess. Each year on her birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of lanterns into the sky. In hope that one day their lost Princess would return.

"And that is the story of what happened to our older sister, Sora and Roxas," their older brother Ventus finished to explain to the two younger brothers.

"What happened next, Ventus?" Sora asked his older brother.

"Well, for starters, the three of us were born," Ventus started to tell.

"No tell it like you told us about Rapunzel," Sora argued.

"Yeah, like before," Roxas goaded the older brother.

"Huh? Fine." Ventus gave up and agreed.

A few years after the lost princess was taken by the witch, the king and queen were given a wonderful surprise. When soon had a second child, a boy this time. The kingdom was overjoyed at this development, though the kingdom was still looking for Rapunzel.

Then, a few more years later, the king and queen were met with another wonderful surprise when they had twins, that being the two of you.

After finishing the story, Terra and Aqua, the adopted kids of Eraqus who was the old retired captain of the royal guards, came in with a lantern that had a compartment for a scroll in it. They put in a picture of a drawing that had Ventus, Sora, Roxas, and what they believed their sister looked like. Then they noticed that the lanterns were going to be lit soon. They left for the balcony nearby and, upon seeing that there were many lanterns in the sky, released their lantern as well.

As Sora looked up at the lanterns, he whispered to himself, "I'm going to find Rapunzel so that everyone can finally be happy."


	2. A Prank Gone Awry

Ten years later…

Sora was running through the castle with his guard dog Dolly; if you could call her that. She was more like his partner in crime. Chasing them were Ventus and Dylan, their angry older brothers that they just pranked by dropping flour on them from above and stole some sugar cookies.

"Hey, you two! Get back here!" yelled Ventus.

"Yeah, you better get back here right now, Dolly!" Dylan also yelled, though Ventus only heard barks coming from him.

"Okay sure," Dolly sarcastically called back. "How about we get on that never?!" Dolly then proceeded to laugh. "Right, Sora?"

"Yep. So long as they keep chasing us, that is," Sora responded to Dolly, being the only human that could understand her as well as other animals and plants. It was a gift that he was born with, likely because of remnants of the sundrop that was in his mother's body.

"What did Dolly just say?!" Ventus yelled at Sora, demanding to know what was said by the dalmatian.

"Nothing you don't already know," Sora answered, also laughing at them.

This proceeded to get the ire of both Ventus and Dylan. In fact, Dylan immediately started to bark loudly as he ran, trying to get the attention of the royal guard. Which, in fact, he did. In about a minute.

"Um, I don't suppose that any of you would like some cookies?" Sora offered to the guards as he held out a few cookies. Two of the guards, named Stan and Pete, accepted the cookies while the third one, the captain of the guard, just glared.

* * *

The group was led into the throne room by the captain of the guard. Upon entering the room, Ventus glared at Sora while Dylan had a smug look on his face. Sora and Dolly were led to their respective parents. After a moment of silence Sora's father began to speak.

"What were you thinking?! Why did you prank your brother and steal cookies? What if someone got hurt?" the king demanded from Sora.

"Um, I was just hungry and wanted to get a snack. As for the prank, I was just bored. There isn't much we can do around the castle," Sora hesitantly answered.

Before the king could speak, his wife comforted him by saying, "Don't be too harsh on him. He's just unhappy with how we all feel due to Rapunzel being gone, especially so close to the anniversary of, you know."

The king sighed before he gave his response, "I understand, but you know we cannot let you leave without guards. What if something were to happen to you or your siblings?"

"Sorry father," Sora apologized.

"That's alright Sora, but we still need to talk about your punishment. How about you clean up your mess and no dessert for the night?" the king offered.

Sora thought for a moment before sighed and said, "Yes father," with a bow.

Meanwhile, Sora wasn't the only one to be scolded by their parents. Dolly was also being scolded by her mom and dad.

"So, let me get this straight. You let your human pull a prank on your brother and his human, and on top of that stole some of the cookies that were to be for the feast tomorrow. Is there anything I'm missing?" Dolly's mother scolded.

"Well, there was that skateboarding session in the backyard," Dolly sheepishly added.

"Uh, oh. Someone's in trouble," Dylan said.

"You what?!" Dolly's father cried out.

"Oh, um, never mind. But, other than that I didn't do anything else wrong," Dolly awkwardly said.

"Dolly, you know that we have been given a fantastic opportunity. We have to care for our new pet humans and make sure that they, and by extension the rest of the kingdom, can live their lives safely and fulfillingly. How can they do that if you keep pulling stunts like this?" Dolly's mother explained.

"Well, they can't live fulfillingly if we just sit around and do nothing like Dawkins and Dylan do with their humans," Dolly snarked under her breath.

Unfortunately for Dolly, both parents heard what she had said and were not happy. "They have found interests that allow them to live safely rather than put them in danger all of the time," Dolly's father, Doug, explained.

"So what are you saying? I'm nothing but a pest that makes a mess of everything?!" Dolly yelled at the top of her lungs.

"No, I'm saying that you need to be more responsible. And, to help give you a sense of responsibility, I'm afraid you've left us with no choice. You are grounded until further notice. During that time, no skateboarding, no dessert, and to help you learn responsibility, you must watch after Da Vinci in addition to watching over Sora," Dolly's mom sternly said.

"What?! But that's not fair. Besides, why do I have to watch over Da Vinci anyway?" Dolly demanded from her parents.

"She hasn't been feeling well lately from what we could see. However, neither of us have had time to check in with her to see what the problem is," Doug explained.

"Before that, why don't you go with Sora and clean up the flour that is now on the floor?" Delilah suggested.

"Me?! But why?! Dylan normally would be all over stuff like this!" Dolly yelled, unhappy that she was being asked to clean.

"Because you're the one who helped make the mess. We've been here for three months and we've all agreed that staying here is preferable to being separated. However, we likely won't be allowed to stay if we keep pulling stunts like this," Delilah retorted. "Now, go!"

Dolly turned to leave with Sora, who had similarly been told to clean up the mess. Before she left, she sarcastically told Dylan, "Thanks a lot brother."

"The pleasure is all mine, Dolly dog," Dylan smugly said back.

"Now, before you go clean up the mess, you should go change into a different pair of clothes that are easier to clean. You can get them from the staff," the king told Sora.

"Okay," Sora accepted.

* * *

After this meeting with the king and queen, Ventus left to talk with Roxas over what had just transpired, with Dylan following not far behind. Upon arriving at Roxas's door, Ventus proceeded to knock. "Roxas! Open up! I need to talk to you!" Ventus called out to Roxas from the other side of the door.

It took a minute, but Roxas eventually got to the door and opened it up. "So, what do you want to talk about?" Roxas asked his older brother.

"I'm here to talk about Sora. He pulled another prank on me," Ventus explained.

Roxas just sighed, "Again? Well, that makes seven times." As he said this, Namine and Xion, who were both friends of Roxas's, added another tally on a chalkboard next to an image that resembled Ventus, which was drawn by Namine.

"Strange. He's been more prank happy as of late," Namine noticed on the board that there were many marks next to the king, the queen, Roxas, and Ventus, and many people that live in the castle.

"Why do you think that is, anyway?" Xion asked.

Ventus sighed. "It's likely because he wants to go outside. Don't get me wrong. I want to go outside too, but our parents won't allow us. Still, that doesn't mean he should go about pulling pranks and making messes. I just don't know what to do with him."

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, I don't know what to do either. I mean, I cope with being stuck inside by reading about the outside world," Roxas said as he gestured towards several tall bookcases that had ladders next to them. "I'm not sure about Sora, though. He is more of a people person than a book person, and he has already made friends with everyone in the castle and most of Corona."

"What about your parents? Don't they know anything?" Xion asked Ventus.

"Not really. I don't know if they are even fully aware why Sora acts this way. They know that he wants to meet Rapunzel and that he wants her to return home so that everyone will be happy, but not that he wants to be more free," Ventus revealed.

"Why don't they just let him go free?" Namine asked.

"Yeah. If you were all allowed to see the world outside the castle maybe you would all be happier," Xion reasoned.

"It won't work. Our parents, especially our dad, would never allow us to leave," Roxas shot the idea down.

"Maybe one of us should go talk to Sora. I'll go get Riku and Kairi. He's more likely to open up with them," Ventus decided.

While this conversation was going on, another separate conversation was going on with Dylan and Dawkins.

"So, what happened this time Dylan?" Dawkins asked his older brother.

"Dolly and Sora pulled a prank on Ventus and me." Dylan said as he let out a groan. "I just don't understand it! Why does Dolly insist on playing these jokes and goofing off?! She has the responsibility of looking after a member of the royal family and she treats it all like a big game rather than with any real gravity or weight."

"That makes sense. She is almost as trapped as Sora is," Dawkins offered up the thought.

"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse her behavior. I just know that someday her behavior will get us all kicked out and separated. And when that happens she won't have anyone to blame but herself," Dylan explained with bitterness in his voice.

"Maybe you should go and talk with her before things get any worse," Dawkins suggested.

"That may not be such a bad idea, Dawkins. Thanks for the help," Dylan thanked his younger brother.

"You're welcome," Dawkins accepted the gesture.

And so Dylan and Ventus both left to begin their tasks at bringing their families together. However, it would turn out that things would ultimately become more complicated.


	3. When Our Lives Begin

Sora and Dolly were in the kitchen cleaning up the flour on the floor. Meanwhile, Da Vinci, a colorful dalmatian who was sitting on the floor not that far from the two, was watching them in confusion.

"I can't believe we have to clean up the flour from our prank," Dolly grumbled to herself as she started to wipe up some of the flour.

"I know, right?" Sora responded as he also wiped up flour. "I thought that the prank was going to be harmless and that Dylan and Ventus could laugh it off. We needed to drop less flour than we ended up doing."

"Yeah. You were just trying to make them laugh and be happy. We shouldn't have to have been punished for it," Dolly said with bitterness in her voice.

"Um, excuse me, but why am I here?" Da Vinci questioned. "I thought that mom and dad wanted you and Sora to clean up the flour, not me."

"Mom and dad want me to watch you, Da Vinci. Said it would teach me responsibility or something," Dolly answered without looking away from the flour.

"Oh. So, that is why I'm here," Da Vinci said, bored out of her mind. She had been doing nothing but sitting here ever since the two of them started to clean. She desperately wanted to paint something or at the very least make some form of art. Looking at a bit of the flour on the floor in front of her, she started to move the flour so as to make an image out of the flour. Said image was of members of her family happy together with their pet humans.

Suddenly, the door opened to show a woman with black hair, named Cassandra, enter the room. "Hey, the captain of the guard told me to check in on you. Wanted to make sure that you were actually cleaning and not goofing off," Cassandra explained. Upon seeing the bit of flour in front of Da Vinci, she proceeded to grab a rag and wipe it up, much to Da Vinci's dismay. "So, have you two learned anything from this prank gone wrong?"

"Use less flour next time?" Sora responded.

"Be serious. You really made your parents upset with you." Cassandra revealed.

"Oh. I just wanted to make Ventus and Dylan laugh," Sora started to feel bad.

"Well, you failed at that. I enjoy a good prank as much as you do, but lately your pranks haven't been as good as they usually are. Do you even enjoy your most recent pranks at all?"

"I just want my family to be happy," Sora said with guilt present in his expression.

"If you want to pull pranks, be more considerate and smarter with them. Remember, a good prank is clever, unexpected, funny, and mischievous. Well, I have to get going. Sora, good luck." At this, Cassandra left the kitchen, leaving the young prince and two dalmatians alone yet again.

"Dolly, do you think that once we're done here that I should apologize to mom and dad?" Sora asked, feeling guilty for having caused trouble for his family.

"I guess. But, you are not getting me to do the same," Dolly answered.

"Dolly," Da Vinci and Sora started to scold.

"Fine. I'll apologize too. Thankfully, we are almost done, anyway," Dolly said.

* * *

As Sora, Dolly, and Da Vinci walked through the hall to the throne room covered in flour, they ran into Riku and Kairi.

"Hey Sora. What did you do this time?" Riku asked upon seeing Sora, Da Vinci, and Dolly covered in flour and Sora wearing different clothes.

"Is it that obvious?" Sora asked.

"Even taking away what you and your dogs look like, Ventus told us that you got in trouble for a prank and that we should talk to you," Kairi explained.

"Oh. Okay." Sora started to understand.

"Do you want to talk about what's wrong?" Kairi offered.

"Sure." Sora answered.

Before he could explain what his problem was, some of the guards suddenly rushed past them, with guards grabbing onto Sora, Riku, and Kairi. Dolly and Da Vinci followed after the trio that were being dragged away.

"Wait. Hold on. What is going on ?" Sora wanted to know.

"Sorry, your majesty. But a group of criminals have just rushed off with the "Crown of the Lost Princess". Under your father's orders we have been instructed to take you to your room or the room of one of your siblings, whichever is nearer," one of the guards explained. Eventually, the guards got to Roxas's room and placed the trio, Dolly, and Da Vinci inside, with the guards closing the door after them.

"Um, not that I'm bothered or anything but why are you all in my room?" Roxas asked, confused as to why the trio were present in his room.

"We're here because the guard wanted to keep us safe from thieves that stole the "Crown of the Lost Princess," Kairi explained.

"Great. The Crown just had to be stolen the day before your lost sister's birthday. Let's just hope the guards are able to catch them," Riku said in annoyance.

Suddenly, Sora and Dolly's faces started to form into a massive grin in realization.

"Um, Sora? Are you okay?" Kairi asked.

In an instant, Sora and Dolly began to look for a rope ladder, tearing Roxas's room apart in the process. "It's so obvious. I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner," Sora exclaimed in excitement.

"Um, what have you realized?" Xion asked, wondering what the prince and his dog were doing.

"Yeah. And why are you tearing my room apart?" Roxas was confused and annoyed.

"If we catch the criminals and bring back the crown our parents will finally realize that we can live outside of the castle and let us go outside without guards," Sora explained.

"And, my parents will realize I can be responsible and not favor Dylan over me anymore," Dolly added on, though only Sora, Da Vinci, and Dawkins could understand her.

"Wait, what's this about our parents and responsibility?" Da Vinci was confused.

"Nothing. Just that you are coming with us. I need to watch you and Sora at all times, right?" Dolly said.

"Um, I'd rather not," Da Vinci said.

"Sorry, but you are," Dolly responded, refusing to stand down.

"Are you crazy?!" Roxas cried out. "What if you get hurt?! Mom and dad won't be okay with this!"

"This sounds dangerous and like something you should not do," Xion remarked.

"Please don't go. I don't want to see you get hurt," Namine added on.

"I concur. We should really consider other options here," Dawkins barked out, to the confusion of every human present except for Sora.

"Look, I know what I am saying must seem crazy. You all think I'm running on some fool's errand and that all I will do is get into trouble of some kind. But I still feel like I should do something rather than sit by and do nothing," Sora poured his heart out. At this moment, Sora found a rope ladder and, after tying it to the outside of the window, jumped up onto the window sill and grabbed onto the rope ladder. "So either you come with me or stand back and let me go. I'm getting that crown back and you will not be doing anything to stop me." At this, Sora started to climb down the ladder with Dolly and, by force, Da Vinci following not that far behind.

"Oh no. Sora's going to be in huge trouble when mom and dad find out!" Roxas exclaimed. "Just walk away, Roxas. Walk away." Roxas started to move only to immediately turn around. "I'm going after him!" At this Roxas started to climb down the rope ladder after Sora. Shortly after this, Kairi and Riku also started to climb down, with the intentions of stopping Sora before he made a big mistake, or at least help him on this dangerous path if that would fail. Xion and Namine followed not long after, though not before Sora, Dolly, and Da Vinci got to the ground and ran off after the guards.

* * *

Sora and Dolly, with Da Vinci on Dolly's back, started to race through the forest in search of the thieves. They tried to look for the guards both to find the thieves and to avoid being caught. Before they could continue, there was a rustle in the bushes behind him. Dolly started to growl at the rustling bushes, just in case it was a threat. However, that would not be necessary as it turned out it was Kairi. "Kairi? You followed after me?"  
"Look, I don't quite understand why you think that catching the thieves will help out at home. But I must ask something of you. Please don't do this. It might be dangerous," Kairi tried to warn.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this and you cannot stop me from doing this either," Sora said as he held Kairi's hand.

"Yeah, you tell her, Sora!" Dolly said, with Kairi being able to understand Dolly this time as she was holding onto Sora's hand. You see, others could also understand plants and animals so long as they are making contact with Sora in some way.

"Dolly, Sora, I'm sorry but you could cause things to go badly," Kairi tried to convince the duo yet again.

"So, why don't you come with us?" Dolly suggested.

"Yeah, if you are so worried you can come with us and make sure that we don't get hurt," Sora continued.

It took a good minute of thinking from Kairi, but when she finally gave her response, she said, "Okay, fine. But I tried to warn you if we get caught."

"Thanks Kairi," Sora said as he gave his friend a hug. "Now, which way do you think that the thieves ran off in?"

"Well, I think that I saw something move that way," Kairi suggested as she broke out of the hug and pointed forward from her current position.

"Well, then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Dolly barked, with only Sora being able to understand this time as Kairi was no longer touching Sora.

* * *

It was about two hours later, and the group of Sora, Dolly, Kairi, and Da Vinci had still failed to find either the thieves or the others at all.

"Well, it's official. We're lost," Da Vinci muttered, unhappy with how the group had failed to make any progress.

"Well, Sora, looks like our efforts to find the thieves has failed. It may be best to just find everyone else and go back home," Kairi suggested.

"Yeah. I guess you're right," Sora said disappointed, as he started to lean up against a wall of vines.

"Aw, man. So much for showing I am responsible," Dolly grumbled under her breath.

Suddenly, Sora fell down in the direction of the vine wall, which had no rock behind it, but a hidden entrance for a cave. "Hey, look! Maybe the thieves went down this way." Sora's disappointment turned into optimistic joy.

"But Sora. What about finding the others and going back to the castle?" Kairi tried to stress this point.

"It will only take a few minutes to look. We can do that after checking. Please," Sora pleaded with Kairi.

"Fine. But only for a few minutes," Kairi eventually gave in.

The group went through the cave and, on the other side, found a very tall and strange looking tower on the other side. Upon getting closer, they noticed a man using arrows to climb down the tower and to the ground. After a minute of watching this scene, they started to walk closer to the tower. Upon approaching the tower, they noticed a girl with ridiculously long, blonde hair at the top of the tower window slide down her hair to right above the ground. In addition, they heard this girl singing.

"Look at the world so close, and I'm half way to it Look at it all, so big do I even dare? I just have to do it. Should I? No. Here I go." At this, the girl finally slowly touched the ground for what seemed like the first time in her life. "Just smell the grass, the dirt. Just like I dreamed they'd be. Just feel that summer breeze. The way it's calling me." The girl was walking about and eventually walked into water, "For like the first time ever, I'm completely free." The girl started to run, "I could go running, and racing, and dancing... and chasing, and leaping and bounding. hair flying, heart pounding and splashing and reeling. And finally feeling, Now's when my life begins."


	4. Crossroads of Destiny

**Enjoy and Review! I love hearing comments and feedback**

**Meanwhile, back at the castle**

Walking through the castle halls, Ventus and Dylan were looking for Sora and Dolly. They had checked just about every room in the castle except for the bedrooms. On the way to the bedrooms, the duo ran into the king and queen.

"Oh Ventus there you are. Have you seen Sora or Roxas? We are getting very worried," the king said.

"No one has seen them since the break in," the queen explained.

"No I haven't. We were just about to check the bedrooms," Ventus explained.

"Oh, well we will look in Sora's room while you look in Roxas's room," the king offered.

"Sure," Ventus accepted.

"Great, let's do that," the queen said.

So Ventus and Dylan went into Roxas's room while Ventus's parents went into Sora's room. When Ventus and Dylan got into Roxas's room, they saw a blanket covered over the silhouette of what appeared to be Roxas, Sora, and Dolly.

"Sora, Roxas there you are, everyone has been looking for you," Ventus said.

"Dolly, there you are," Dylan said.

The both of them were given the silent treatment

"Huh? Ok, I get that you would be mad. I admit I overreacted and I'm sorry," Ventus apologized. "Everyone is just worried is all. After all, tomorrow is the anniversary of when we lost our older sister.

"Dolly, come on. The silent treatment is very immature even for you," Dylan said.

"Wait, Roxas, Why are you giving me the silent treatment? Never mind that. Just know that I understand why you are angry. After all, all of us are unhappy with not being allowed to go outside. I get it. Dad is just really overprotective after what happened to Rapunzel and that trator Xehanort running around. He's just worried about us and he doesn't want to lose us too. But no matter what happens, no matter what we all go through we have each other. I'm here if you guys need to talk or just listen to what you have to say or if you have problems. Huh? Sora, Roxas? I'm trying here. Please just say something," Ventus said.

As Ventus was saying all this Dawkins with the help of two of his sisters Dizzy and Dee Dee were pulling the puppets of Sora, Roxas, and Dolly. But before too long the puppets fell apart.

"What the?!" Ventus yelled in shock and fear, thinking his brothers just fell apart. He took away the curtain and found a bunch of random stuff on the floor and three pups with a shocked look on their faces. "Where are they?!" Ven demanded in a sad and angry tone. Knowing that Ven couldn't understand them they all just pointed outside. "Of course."

"Dawkins, Dizzy, Dee Dee, where are they?" Dylan demanded from them.

It took some time, but Dawkins eventually snapped. "They went after the thief," said Dawkins after a few minutes.

"What?! What was she thinking? She could get us in so much trouble. We could get kicked out," Dylan was panicking.

"So what should we do?" Dawkins wanted to know.

"We need to find them before anyone finds out. I'll get Diesel and track them. You get whoever and whatever you need to get this back up before someone finds out," Dylan explained.

"Okay."

"Right."

Listening to the dalmations argue like this made Ven wish Sora was here to translate but they probably wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for him.

"Hah! Ok you guys probably have a plan, right?" Ven asked.

The dalmatians nodded.

"Ok! You do your plan. I'll distract mom, dad and everyone else. Hopefully they get back before someone sees," Ven explained.

Knock knock.

"Sora, Roxas, Ventus, can we talk?" The king and queen asked from the other side of the door.

Before his parents could open the door, Ven slammed it. To his mother's shock and his father's annoyance.

"Don't come in," Ventus said.

"What! Why is everything ok? What's wrong?" the king and queen wanted to know.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just that they're not in the best mood right now and we just need some sibling time. It… It's just so hard with the anniversary and everything. We just need some time to ourselves, okay?" Ventus made up the excuse.

"Alright," the king simply responded.

"Take all the time you need. If you need to talk or anything just come and get us," the queen offered.

"Ok we will," Ven said through his tears. "Find them fast," Ven said to Dylan.

Dylan nodded then went down to the garden to grab Diesel. After explaining the situation the two were off to find Dolly and the others.

* * *

Sora, Kairi, Dolly, and Da Vinci were watching in confusion and concern as the girl with extremely long hair was stuck between being ecstatic at being outside to feeling horrible about being outside.

Flynn cleared his throat, "You know, I can't help but notice, you seem a little at war with yourself, here."

"Really?" Rapunzel was surprised.

"The whole day, Bits and pieces. Sort of protective mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good, healthy even." Flynn agreed.

"You think?" Rapunzel laughs

"I know. You're way over thinking your stress meter. Did your mother deserve it? Will this break her heart and crush her soul? Well of course. But you just got to do it," Flynn said, trying to deter her.

"Break her heart?" Rapunzel said sadly.

"It can," Flynn confirmed.

"Crush her soul?" Rapunzel worriedly questioned.

"Like a grape," Flynn stated.

"She would be heartbroken, you're right." confirmed Rapunzel.

"Likely, all right, oh no. All right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I'm letting you out of the deal." said Flynn.

"Well…"

"That's right. But don't make me. Let's just turn around, and you go home, and your frog. I get back my satchel. You get back a mother daughter relationship. based on mutual trust and viola! We part ways as unlikely friends," Flynn said, trying to seal the deal.

"No, I am seeing those lanterns," Rapunzel rebutted with conviction.

"Oh, come on! What is it going to take to get my satchel back?" whined Flynn.

All of a sudden, heard a noise. Rapunzel got out her frying pan threateningly in response to the noise. "I will use this. What is it, ruffians, thugs?"

All of a sudden, they noticed Da Vinci drawing a picture in the dirt. "Stay calm, it can probably smell fear," Flynn snarked sarcastically.

"Oh, sorry. Getting just a little bit, jumpy," Rapunzel apologized.

"Speaking of which, where did this dog come from?" Flynn wanted to know.

Rapunzel noticed Sora, Kairi, and Dolly a few feet away from them. Rapunzel moved her frying pan to aim at the trio. "Stay back, whoever you are! You are not going to get in the way of me seeing the lanterns!"

"Why would we do that?" Sora was confused.

"We wouldn't, this is just a big misunderstanding!" Kairi called out.

"Why don't you guys tell us what you're doing?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. Hey, what are you doing?" Kairi asked the guy as she walked up to him.

"We are apparently on our way to see the lanterns that will be in the sky tomorrow," the man answered with bitterness and frustration in his voice.

"Oh, you mean the lanterns that are for the lost princess?" Sora clarified.

"You know about that? Hey, why don't you two take her and bring her back? I'll take my satchel and leave," the man said quickly.

"But aren't you supposed to take me to see the lanterns?" the girl asked the man.

"Ugh! Can't I please just have my satchel back?!" the man yelled.

"After you take me to see the lanterns, Flynn Rider," the girl demanded.

"Wait. Flynn Rider? You're the thief!" Kairi realized.

"Ohh. When we find the guards you are so going to jail," Sora said, ready to turn in Flynn.

"Wait, you can't. He needs to take me to see the lanterns. It's my birthday tomorrow and I really want to see them. Please? You can arrest him if you like afterward. But, for now, can you please let him go?" the girl pleaded.

Sora and Kairi looked at each other, feeling conflicted. They knew that Rider deserved jail after all he's done but they also didn't want to disappoint this nice girl either. So, after a lot of thinking, they decided, "Fine. But once we're done you have to return the crown. Otherwise, we will turn you in," Kairi suggested.

"Fine," said Flynn relating while thinking of ways to get out of this and get his satchel. "Probably be best if we avoid ruffians and thugs, though."

"Yeah, that's probably best," Rapunzel agreed.

"Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch," Flynn offered for the group.

"Where?" Rapunzel was curious.

"Oh, don't you worry. You'll know it when you smell it." Flynn said.


	5. Paths Diverge

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Roxas and Xion were walking through the forest, trying to look for Sora, Kairi, Riku, and Namine. Suddenly, the duo noticed Maximus and were prepared to sneak by him, only for them to notice a black haired lady in a red dress and a black cloak. They would have asked her who she was and where they could find their siblings and friends, but she was quick to run away.

"So, do you think that we should follow her or-," Xion wondered aloud.

"We should follow to see what is wrong. Besides, if we stay here we may get caught by Maximus," Roxas answered.

The duo followed the woman through a cave and found a tower on the other side of it. They were able to get close enough to hear her yell, "Rapunzel, let down your hair!" Whatever this was meant to do was unknown to the two teens. However, it was clear something was wrong when nothing happened. The lady was quick to run towards a wall a little ways up the tower and pulled away some wood and roots that were covering it to reveal a secret passageway into the tower. After a little bit she came out looking distraught, carrying a satchel. All of a sudden, she finally noticed both Roxas and Xion. "Ahh! Who are you two and what are you doing here?!" the woman demanded of the duo.

"My name is Xion and this is my friend Roxas. We were just looking for our friends and Roxas's brother," the dark haired girl answered.

"Well, you certainly won't find them here. Get going, please. I have to go look for my precious flower," the woman responded coldly.

"Who or what is your flower? Is it anything we can help you with?" Roxas asked the older woman.

The woman turned around for a moment, grinning to herself as she did so. She then turned back around, now with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's just that my precious baby girl is missing! She was staying at our home in this tower only for some criminal to kidnap her while I left her all alone! I should never have left her alone! Now I'll never see her again!" The woman continued to cry and gain sympathy from the kindhearted duo.

"I'm sorry. That sounds very rough for you to have gone through," Xion apologized sympathetically.

"Like we said, maybe we could help. My brother was already looking for a criminal and could get himself hurt. Maybe we are looking for the same guy. Let us help you. We'll do all we can to stop this criminal before he hurts anyone else," Roxas offered.

"Really?" The older woman sniffled. "Thank you two so much! I know that with your help that we'll find my daughter for sure!"

* * *

**Meanwhile**

"Sora, Roxas, Kairi, Xion, where are you guys?" called out Riku as he and Namine searched for their friends.

"Where do you think they could have gone to, Riku? The forest is fairly large. They could be anywhere," Namine was worried.

"I'm sure we'll find them soon, they couldn't have gotten far." Said Riku to reassure her.

_Rustle Rustle_

"See I'm sure that is them now. Come on out guys before-."

"Before what?" The voice being familiar, but not the voice they were expecting.

"D..Dad!" Riku was shocked to have found his father, the captain of the guard, out here. He had hoped that while looking for Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Xion that they could have avoided running into the guard altogether. "I-I'm sure you're wondering what we are doing out here," Riku tried to hide his nervousness only to fail to do so. "W-well you see-,"

"Don't try to make up excuses. You went outside while there was a potentially dangerous criminal on the loose and you are trying to play it off like it is nothing?" Riku's father scolded. "Answer me this. Is anyone else out here with you on this fool's errand?"

"Um-," Namine began only to be interrupted by Riku.

"No. No one else is out here with us. We are completely alone," Riku lied, something that he didn't like to do but felt like there was no other choice in this situation as he didn't want Sora and Roxas to get in trouble.

"You talked as if there was someone else out here just a moment ago. Who else is out here?" The captain questioned only for Riku and Namine to say nothing. He decided that if he wasn't going to be answered that he should move on to his job. "Well, know this. You are both in huge trouble when we get back, understood?" Riku's dad warned.

"Yes sir," said Namine, upset that they got caught and could not continue looking for their friends.

"Yes sir, father," said Riku, annoyed that they were caught. He was thinking that Sora would owe him for keeping quiet and allowing himself to get into trouble with his father like this.

* * *

"Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig…" Diesel was digging a hole in the forest ground as he and Dylan had taken a short break from looking for everyone.

"Aw man. If word gets to the king and queen that Sora and Roxas got out even with Dolly and Dawkins watching them then we will get into trouble for sure," Dylan pondered with himself nervously. "Diesel, are you done yet? We need to get back to searching for everyone."

"Come on, Dylan. Can't I dig just a little bit more? Besides, maybe if you tried to do it yourself you could think better. Always works for me," Diesel said.

"We can dig more once we find everybody. Now, please just sniff out where everybody went," Dylan pleaded.

"Ok, fine. Lets see… I think that I can smell Sora and Dolly around a lot of this forest. As for where they are, it's hard to tell. Maybe down west? Oh, And Da Vinci is with them too," Diesel wondered. "Also, Riku and Namine seem to be with several of the guards to the east. As for Roxas and Xion, they appear to be to the west as well with an unfamiliar scent."

"Oh, perfect! Now we can find everyone and hopefully avoid getting kicked out!" Dylan was excited and relieved until he realized what Diesel just said. "Wait. You said Riku and Namine were with the guards. That means if we reunite everyone we'll get caught and kicked out for sure. So, for now we'll just have to go and get everyone else then. Come on Diesel! We have some family to find!"

"Uh, can't I dig a little bit more first, please?"

"No. Not now," Dylan bluntly said as he went west, with Diesel deciding to follow after Dylan.

* * *

**Back at the castle **

Ven was walking back and forth nervously as he was wondering what to do about the absence of Sora and Roxas. He considered telling the truth to his parents, only to immediately shoot it down as he didn't want his siblings to get into more trouble. It would be easier to handle this situation if he had someone to talk to. He could talk to the dalmatians, but he decided against it seeing as how he couldn't understand them.

Ven was just about to give up when suddenly there was a knock on his door.

"Who is it?" asked Ven with a little worry in his voice.

"Ven it's me Aqua. Terra and Cass are also here with me. Are you guys ok?" asked Aqua concernedly.

"Actually, can I talk with the three of you for a minute?" Ven decided to take a chance and tell his friends about Sora and Roxas leaving.

"Sure. I'm game for talking," Terra agreed.

"What's going on? Is there something wrong, Ven?" Cass was concerned.

"Well, you see, how should I put this? Sora and Roxas ended up leaving the castle and I need help finding them before mom and dad find out or else they will get into ginormous trouble," Ven speedily answered.

"Wait, what?!" Aqua was shocked to hear that Sora and Roxas were gone. Judging by the looks on the faces of Terra and Cass, they were also quite surprised to hear the news.

"Well, that is a lot to take in, Ven. Are you sure we can't just ask the guard to look for them or tell your parents?" Terra asked.

"I don't want Sora and Roxas to get punished and for us to be given even less freedom than we already have. So please, can you go out and look for them?" Ven pleaded with his friends.

"I see, I'll help but I still think that you should tell your parents," replied Aqua.

"I agree with Aqua. You can count me in," agreed Terra.

"Well, I guess I'll help. Maybe this way my dad will see that I'm more than capable to be a castle guard and make him proud," Cass decided.

"Thank you guys so much

"Of course."Said Aqua

"No problem." replied Terra

"Any time." said Cassandra.

The three of them then left, Cass was leading a secret passage outside. While they were doing that, Ven was going to look for Riku, Kairi, Xion, and Namine and ask them to help cover till they were all back. Not knowing they weren't in the castle or even in the town.


	6. We've Got a Dream

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Terra, Aqua, and Cassandra were on horseback riding through the woods looking for Sora, Roxas and the others when they decided to split up and use Cass's owl to keep in touch. They planned that when they found them to meet at the bridge that leads into the capital. They each went in a different direction and were off.

* * *

"I know it's around here, somewhere. Ah, there it is. The Snuggly duckling. Don't worry, very quaint place, perfect for you. Don't want you scaring, and giving up on this endeavor now do we?" Flynn said as he led Rapunzel, Sora, and Kairi towards the Sugling duckling with Dolly and Da Vinci following behind them.

"Hey, Sora. Is it just me or does it sound as if Ryder here is trying to trick us?" Dolly asked the young teen.

"Now that you mention it, yes it does," Sora agreed.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else," Kairi offered.

"What? Come on, the place is called the Snuggly Duckling. How bad can that be?" Flynn tried to argue.

"I agree with Dolly. The place sounds like it could be a place where murder is done," Da Vinci nervously said as she gulped hard.

"See? Even the paint covered dog agrees with me," Flynn said, not knowing what she actually said.

"Well, I do like ducklings." Rapunzel said a little fearfully.

Not far from the Snuggly Duckling Someone was watching them.

"YAY! Garcon, your finest table, please. You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose. Really, let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, it's part man smell and the other part is really bad man smell. I don't know why, but overall, it smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?" Flynn Rider said.

"That's a lot of hair." One of the thugs said, in awe over the amount of hair Rapunzel has.

"She's growing it out. Is that blood on your moustache? Goldie, look at this, look at all the blood on his moustache. Look, I'm sure that's a lot of blood. Hey, you don't look so good, Blondie. Maybe we should get you home. Call it a day. Probably better off. This is a five star joint after all. And if you can't handle this place, well maybe you should be back in your tower." Flynn said, trying to get Rapunzel to leave so that he could get back his satchel.

"I haven't been around much, but even I know that there are better places than this," Sora said.

"Yeah. Even our old place was better than this," Dolly muttered.

"We can go, but it has to be somewhere else other than the tower," Kairi agreed.

"Is this you?" Vladimir asked as he showed a wanted poster.

"Ugh, now they're just being mean." Flynn muttered in annoyance, unhappy with the poster and how it portrayed him.

"Oh, it's him all right. Gretta, go find some guards. That reward is going to buy me a new hook." Hook Hand commanded.

"I can use the money." Attila said.

"What about me? I'm broke. GET BACK!" Vladimir yelled.

"Should we say something? I am a prince after all. Maybe I can get them to stop and pardon Flynn" Sora whispered to Kairi.

"I'm pretty sure only your parents can do that," Kairi responded.

"Please, stop!" Rapunzel pleaded.

"We can work this out." Flynn pleaded in desperation as they picked him up.

"Hey, leave him alone." Rapunzel commanded, only for her plea to fall on deaf ears.

"Please." Flynn begged as he was hung up by a hook on the wall.

"Give me back my guide! Ruffians!" Rapunzel yelled out.

"Not the nose, not the nose, not the nose!" Flynn begged.

"Put him down! Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns, because I've been dreaming about them my entire life. Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?" Rapunzel questioned.

The thugs gave a glare towards Rapunzel, with Hook Hand approaching her with an axe. Just when it looked like he was going to harm her, he instead said sympathetically, "I had a dream. Once." At this, Hook Hand threw his axe right above a man sitting in a chair with an accordion. Scared, he began to play to the tune of a song. "I'm malicious, mean and scary. My sneer could curdle dairy. And violence-wise my hands are not the cleanest. But despite my evil look, and my temper and my hook. I've always yearned to be a concert pianist." Hook Hand proceeded to play on a piano. "Can'tcha see me on the stage performing Mozart. Tickling the ivories, 'til they gleam. Yep, I'd rather be called deadly. For my killer show-tune medley. Thank you. 'Cause way down deep inside I've got a dream."

Meanwhile, Sora and Kairi were awkwardly dancing off to the side, trying to avoid getting caught and harmed by the thugs. Dolly and Da Vinci were confused at what was going on.

"The last thing I expected to see today was a bunch of people dancing and singing, right Da Vinci?" Dolly asked only to see that the younger pup was getting invested with the song.

"He's got a dream, he's got a dream," The thugs sang.

"See, I ain't as cruel and vicious as I seem. Though I feel like breaking femurs. You can count me with the dreamers. Like everybody else, I've gotta dream," Hook Hand sang.

"I've got scars and lumps and bruises. Plus there's something here that oozes. Let's not even mention my complexion. But despite my extra toes. And my goiter and my nose. I really want to make a love connection. Can't you see me with a special little lady. Rowing in a row boat, down the stream. Though I'm one disgusting blighter. I'm a lover, not a fighter. 'Cause way down deep inside, I gotta dream. I gotta dream, I gotta dream. And I know one day true love will reign supreme. Though my face leaves people screaming. There's a child behind it dreaming. Like everybody else, I've gotta dream." Big Nose sang.

"I've got a dream. I've got a dream. I'd love for my art to be seen! I may be just a pup, but I can tell you I've had enough. Way down deep inside I've got a dream!" Da Vinci sang, much to the confusion of mostly everyone as they couldn't understand her. However, that didn't stop the flow of the song.

"Tor would like to quit and be a florist.

Gunther does interior design.

Ulf is into mime,

Attila's cupcakes are sublime~!

Bruiser knits,

Killer sews,

Fang does little puppet shows." The thugs all sang.

"And Vladimir collects ceramic unicorns. What about you?" Hook Hand questioned Flynn.

"I'm sorry me?" Flynn questioned, not quite getting the point.

"What's your dream?" Big Nose demanded.

"No, no, no. Sorry boys, I don't sing." At this, the thugs all brandished their weapons threateningly, forcing Flynn to have to sing. "I have dreams like you, no really. Just much less, touchy-feely. They mainly happen somewhere warm and sunny. On an island that I own, tanned and rested and alone. Surrounded by enormous piles of money."

"I have a dream... I have a dream." Rapunzel sang.

"She's got a dream." The thugs sang.

"I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam. And with every passing hour. I'm so glad I left my tower. Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream." Rapunzel happily sang.

"She's gotta dream, He's gotta dream. They've gotta dream, we've gotta dream. So our differences ain't really that extreme. We're one big team. Call us brutal or sadistic and grotesquely optimistic. 'Cause way down deep inside, we've gotta dream. We gotta dream, I gotta dream. Yes everybody here has got a... Dreeeeeeaaaaamm. Yeah!" The thugs all happily sang out.

Suddenly everyone heard a clapping noise. When everyone looked they saw a man in the corner that only a few recognized.

"Terra!" Sora and Kairi yelped.

"Really? Here? Now? What's next? Dylan? Mom and dad?" Dolly started to get nervous.

"I found the guards." Greno suddenly said as he reentered the bar.


	7. Paths Begin to Cross

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Riku and Namine were walking behind the guards when some thug came up. The guards got their weapons ready and pointed at the thug.

"Wait, I know where Rider is." Said the thug.

"Wait, you do? Where is he?" the captain of the guard asked.

"I'll show you. Just follow me," the thug offered as he walked away.

"Fine. Riku and Namine, both of you go home, now!" the captain of the guard commanded.

"Yes father," Riku begrudgingly agreed.

"Yes sir," Namine also agreed.

"Alright then. Men, come with me," The captain commanded his men as they all left to follow the thug.

"Do you think that they'll be able to capture Rider or not?" Namine asked curiously.

"Hopefully they will but Rider is a tough one to catch." Riku replied.

Just then they heard some rustling from the bushes. They were about ready to fight whatever it is when a slightly annoyed Cass came out.

"There you two are. Where's everyone else?"

"We don't know. We got separated."

"Great, just great."

"So, should we head on back? After all, maybe Riku's dad will find Sora, Kairi, Roxas, and Xion," Namine suggested.

"That would be a bad idea," Riku immediately shot down that line of thinking.

"Riku's right. Imagine all the trouble they would all get in if they got caught. Sora and Roxas would get more than a slap on the wrist. They would never have any freedom ever again!" Cass warned.

"Okay, then what should we do?" asked Namine, unsure about how to proceed.

"I'd say we follow the guards for now. Maybe we can find them if we stick with them," Riku suggested.

"Since we don't have any other ideas, I guess we should do that. But we should be careful not to get caught. Our dad would go ballistic if he found out we disobeyed him," Cass said.

The trio ran off in the direction that the guards left in, hoping to find the guards and their friends as well.

* * *

Roxas, Xion, and Mother Gothel were walking through the woods looking for Rapunzel, Sora, and the others when they heard rustling from the bushes. After a moment, two dalmatians popped out of the bushes and were barking to each other. To those that could understand them, though, they were saying this.

"So, Diesel, please tell me that this time we found one of the members of the royal family," Dylan pleaded as he looked up and saw that Roxas was one of the people in this group. "Oh, thank dog! We found Roxas! Now all we need to do is to find Sora and bring them both home. So, Diesel, do you know where Sora is?"

"Hold on a moment, Dylan, I have to dig," Diesel said as he started to dig a hole right in front of the confused trio. Mother Gothel backed up a few feet with a look of contempt on her face.

"Um, is everything alright, Mother Gothel?" Xion asked the older woman, having noticed her less than pleasant expression.

"Oh, yes! I was just frustrated that we haven't found my daughter yet," Mother Gothel said with false motherly concern. "Now, let's ignore these dogs and move on, okay?"

"Hold on, these dogs are Dylan and Diesel!" Roxas immediately recognized the two dalmatians and bent down to pet Dylan. "It's both very good to see you and very concerning. Look, I know you probably want us to return home, but we need to help this woman find her daughter. Besides, we don't know where Sora is and need to find him before we can go home." Dylan proceeded to facepaw after realizing that he needed Diesel back in action.

"Uh, Diesel! Please finish digging so that we can find Sora!" Dylan pleaded.

"Alright, fine," Diesel groaned as he sniffed the air. After sniffing for a moment, he pointed his nose towards the west. "Sora and his friend Kairi should be this way."

"Oh, thank dog! Let's just hope he stays there until we can get to him. Let's go!" Dylan ran in the direction that Diesel pointed, with the muddy puppy following after him.

"Wait, get back here boys!" Xion called out as she and Roxas chased after the two dogs.

"Ugh, fine. Let's follow the flea huggers. They are sure to know where my flower is," Mother Gothel snarked as she followed after the duo.

As the three of them were running through the woods they literally ran into Aqua.

"Oof."

"Ow."

Roxas looked at what he and Xion ran into.

"Aqua!" they both cried out in shock.

"There you both are. Where are the others? What were you thinking?" Aqua asked the two in a stern but worried tone.

Roxas and Xion look at each other, both thinking what to say when Roxas blathers out.

"It was all Sora's idea! I told him it was a bad idea but he wouldn't listen," Roxas confessed.

"Calm down. Now please explain to me what is going on," Aqua said, trying to be understanding.

"Well, Sora heard about the thief and wanted to catch him," Xion began.

"He thought if he helped catch him that our parents would loosen up about the rules," Roxas explained.

"We realized that his thought process wouldn't be accurate and tried to stop him," Xion continued.

"However, we lost him and the others and were trying to find them," Roxas said.

"That's when we found this lady that calls herself Gothel. Her daughter was captured by the thief and we are trying to find him," Xion said.

"Maybe Sora is also with the thief so we are working together to find him and Diesel and Dylan may have a lead as to where they are at. And that is all that happened so far," Roxas finished.

"We'll discuss whether or not you should be in trouble later. Though, personally, I think you'll both be fine. So, this dog with the dirt spots, Diesel I think he's called, can smell really good, right?" Both of the teens nodded in response. "Well, maybe if we had something with anyone else's scent on it we can find them," Aqua suggested.

Gothel proceeded to dig through her bag and pulled out a hairbrush. "Here. This is my daughter's hairbrush," she informed the group. "This brush will have her scent on it, meaning we can find her," Gothel said. "Provided the flea bag can follow a straight line," Gothel murmured to herself.

"Alright, let's hope this works," Aqua said as she grabbed the hairbrush and put it in front of Diesel. After sniffing it for a moment, he began to run after the scent. "Everyone, quick, follow that dog!"

And with that, the group of humans and a dog chased after Diesel to find Rapunzel and everyone else. After a bit of running, Diesel stopped in front of a building called the "Snuggly Duckling."

"Diesel, I know you may want to take a break to dig, but now is not the time for this!" Dylan yelled.

"Actually, the scent the old lady gave me is located in that building, at least right now it is," Diesel said.

"Oh. Let's hope that after this we can finally look for Sora, Dolly, and everyone else before it's too late," Dylan prayed.

Meanwhile, the humans were left wondering if Rapunzel was inside the building up ahead. Apparently, wherever this place was it didn't seem too terrible given the name and the fact that singing could be heard from the outside. They all headed up to a side window and looked inside and saw a bunch of people singing a song, among them the thief on the poster and a young woman with long blonde hair. There was also Sora, Kairi, and Dolly standing on the sidelines, just as confused as the group was. Da Vinci appeared to be near the trio, but was invested with the song.

"So, Gothel, is that girl with blonde hair your daughter?" Roxas asked Gothel.

"Yes. Yes she is. Thank goodness we found her. Now, we can head in and bring her home," Gothel said.

"Hold on. It appears that she is singing," Xion gently halted Gothel.

"I just want to see the floating lanterns gleam. And with every passing hour. I'm so glad I left my tower. Like all you lovely folks, I've got a dream," Rapunzel sang, much to Gothel's horror.

After the song was done they heard clapping and everyone was looking at whoever was clapping. Then Sora and Kairi yelled "Terra" in surprise.

"Wait, Terra?!" Roxas was confused upon hearing his name.

"He must have gone in during the song," Aqua realized.

"Well, since we can get everyone we were looking for, we should probably head in now," Xion suggested.

However, before the group could enter the establishment, they heard someone else enter and say, "I found the guards!"


	8. Everyone is Here!

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"Where's Ryder, where is he? I know he's in here somewhere. Find him, turn the place upside down!" The Captain of the Guard demanded as Flynn, Terra, Sora, Kairi, Dolly, Da Vinci and Rapunzel hid behind the bar.

"Great! Now we are about to be caught and mom and dad are going to be even more mad at me!" Dolly loudly whispered, though only Sora and Da Vinci heard her talk.

"Well, technically, this wouldn't have happened if we just stayed at home," Da Vinci noted.

"Really? You had to remind me of that?" Dolly grumbled.

"There has to be some way out of here," Sora noted.

"Yeah but how?" Kairi asked as they looked at Terra.

"Hey, don't look at me. I just got here," Terra said, much to the group's disappointment.

Suddenly, Hook Hand motioned for the group to follow him. Not having many other options, they complied and he led them to a secret underground passage hidden behind the bar. "Go, live your dream," Hook Hand whispered.

"I will," Flynn said.

"Your dream stinks, I was talking to her," Hook Hand grumbled.

"Thanks for everything," Rapunzel thanked the man with a hug before the group left down the passageway.

"I believe this is the man you're looking for," Vladimir said as he held up Shorty.

"You got me," Shorty said.

"Sir, there's no sign of Ryder." the guards said to the captain of the guard.

"Maximus. What he's doing?" The guards noticed Maximus sniff at the ground until he located a bottle, which he pushed. As a result, the passage that Sora, Rapunzel and everyone else left through was uncovered. "A passage, come on men, let's go. Corman, make sure those boys don't get away."

The two red haired men were quick to knock out the guard left to watch them and escape their bindings. "Play it safe. We'll go get the crown."

"Wow. The guards aren't really the best at their job, are they?" Xion asked Roxas and Aqua.

"Yeah. Outside of me and Terra, the guards aren't as well equipped to deal with problems as they should be," Aqua said as she shook her head.

"This is bad. Sora, Kairi, and Terra could get caught. Gothel's daughter could be arrested for just being with Ryder. Man, things are about to go horribly for everyone! We have to do something!" Roxas worriedly cried out.

"I know. Diesel, can you track where they are going to go?" Dylan asked the powerful smeller.

"Sorry. No can do. I can help you more later, but not right now. Unless you want to head down the passageway with the guards," Diesel responded.

"Aw man! Seriously?! Go ahead and dig Diesel. Enjoy our last moments as guard dogs for the king and queen," Dyan miserably said.

"Sure thing," Diesel said as he began to dig.

Suddenly, the old man named Shorty began to leave the Snuggly Duckling. "I got a dream, I got some dream. I-," Suddenly, Shorty noticed Gothel. "Ohhh, somebody get me a glass. 'Cause I just found me a tall drink of water."

"Oh stop it, you big lug." Gothel pretended to be complemented. Suddenly, she got out a knife and placed its tip on Shorty's nose. "Where's that tunnel lead out?"

"Knife!" Shorty said scared for his life. Fortunately for her, he revealed where the passage ends and the group began to head for that spot.

"Um, wasn't that a bit harsh?" Roxas asked Gothel. "He may have been a thug, but I don't think we needed to threaten him."

"Trust me, men like him are not deserving of our mercy. Now, let's be on our way," Gothel responded.

"That sounds like a cynical way to live and think," Xion responded.

"Hey, I think I heard something from over there, Riku, Cassandra," A voice, which belonged to Namine said as she and the other two members of her group arrived where this group was. "Aqua? Roxas? Xion?"

"So, there you guys are!" Roxas cried out as he and Xion approached Namine, Riku, and Cass. "How did you find us"

"Well, we followed the guards and hoped that we would find you guys," Riku answered.

"Seriously, you guys? Why didn't you just return to the castle? It's dangerous out here and a lot of stuff is going on right now!" Aqua criticized their decision.

"I know. It was irresponsible and dumb. But we also can't let Sora and Kairi get into any trouble with the guards and the king and queen," Riku explained.

"Yeah! We need to head out and save them before they get caught," Cass agreed with Riku. While everyone else was talking, unbeknownst to the busy group, Gothel was giving disapproving glares to both Riku and Cassanda.

"Yeah, well before you go, we have a lot to discuss," Roxas said.

"Well, discuss it while we move!" Gothel yelled, losing patience with everyone else.

"Um, okay. Let's save Sora, Kairi, and Rapunzel from the clutches of Flynn Ryder," Xion said.

"Wait, what?" Riku was confused.  
"A lot must have happened when we were absent," Namine commented.

* * *

Terra went ahead of the others in order to check and see if things were safe for everyone else.

"Well, that got us safe. Didn't know you had that in you back there," Flynn complimented.

"I know! I know... Sooo, Flynn. Where are you from?" Rapunzel asked the man.

"Well, I come from the capital. I came here to capture Flynn so that we can get the tiara back," Sora explained.

"I'm friends with Sora and he needed help. I'd rather we go back before we get in trouble," Kairi said.

"I agree with her. We should get going before we get into trouble," Da Vinci said, though only Sora and Dolly heard.

"Hey, relax, would ya? We can get back in no time without getting into trouble," Dolly said.

"What you two said was very interesting, but I was talking to Flynn," Rapunzel politely interrupted.

"Whoa, whoa, sorry Blondie, I don't do that story. However I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I...I know I'm not supposed to mention the hair," Flynn began.

"Nope."

"Or, the Mother."

"Uh, uh."

"Frankly I'm too scared to ask about the frog."

"Chameleon."

"Gila monster. Here's my question, if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?" Flynn asked the young woman.

"Uhh, hey, well…," Rapunzel began. All of a sudden, the group heard the guards following after them, showing that they are being followed. The group were quick to flee to an exit in the cave, leading to a desert spot close to a dam. The group looked down and saw the Stabbington Brothers appear from another cave at ground level. "Uh, Flynn... Flynn! Who's that?"

"They don't like me." Flynn responded.

The Royal Guard also appeared from right behind the group. "Who's that?"

"They don't like me either."

Just when the group thought that things couldn't get worse, Maximus appeared from another nearby cave. "Who's that?"

"Lets just assume for the moment, that everyone here doesn't like me."

"Well, I like you," Sora said.

"Sora! Remember, he's a criminal!" Kairi reminded the young teen.

"Oh, right," Sora awkwardly laughed.

"Here," Rapunzel said as she handed the frying pan to Flynn. Meanwhile, she used her long hair to get over onto a rock platform.

"I've waited a long time for this," The Captain of the Guard said as he prepared to fight Flynn.

Flynn was able to easily defeat the Captain of the Guard and the other guards with the frying pan.

"Oh mama, I have got to get me one of these." Flynn sees that Maximus has a dagger in his mouth. "HAH!" Flynn proceeds to fight off the smart horse with the frying pan. "You should know, this is the strangest thing I've ever got-" Flynn loses the pan "How 'bout two out of three?" Maximus holds the dagger to Flynn's throat.

Meanwhile, Rapunzel helped the others get onto higher ground thanks to her hair.

"You know, Maximus is one smart horse," Sora noted.

After saving everyone else, Rapunzel threw her hair out to Flynn. "Flynn!" Rapunzel yelled as she saved him from Maximus. "Flynn, look out!" She yelled as she saw the Stabbington Brothers ready to slice at Flynn. Thankfully, he was able to miss the attacks.

"HAH! You should see your faces 'cause you look…" Flynn was interrupted as he hit a pillar on the water flow part of the dam. "Ridiculous…" Flynn wheezed.

Maximus began to knock down a pillar in order to reach the platform Rapunzel was on.

"Come on, Blondie. Jump," Flynn called to Ranpunzel. She did so, reaching down to the ground and barely avoiding Maximus. Flynn, meanwhile, skidded down to the ground via the water flow with the others following after. Suddenly, the dam burst, flooding the area with water and enveloping the guards, Maximus, and the Stabbington Brothers. As for Rapunzel and Flynn, they ran from the water flow and a falling rock pillar while holding Rapunzel's hair. They just barely made it to a nearby cave, with Flynn grabbing the frying pan that ended up nearby before entering.

Sora, Kairi, Da Vinci, and Dolly were shocked by what had just occurred.

"Oh my goodness! Are they okay?!" Sora and Kairi yelled, both very worried.

"Aw man! There goes our chance of getting the rules loosened back at home," Dolly was disappointed.

"Why did you think that would happen?" Da Vinci asked.

"I don't know. I just wanted mom and dad to not constantly compare me to Dylan anymore. You have any idea how frustrating it is to constantly be told to be one way that is against your own nature?" Dolly questioned the younger pup.

"No. But I can see why you would not like being unable to express yourself properly. After all, I constantly feel that way with my art," Da Vinci confessed.

Dolly just realized what Da Vinci's verse in the song meant. "Don't worry Da Vinici. When we get back home I'm sure Sora can help you with that.

"But what about mom, dad, and Dylan?" Da Vinci asked, not wanting her sister to get in trouble.

"You just leave that to me," Dolly said.

Meanwhile Sora and Kairi were having a conversation of their own.

"We probably should head out and look for them. Hopefully, the two of them will be alright," Kairi said, trying to be optimistic.

"Yeah. We probably should," Sora said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Are you okay, Sora?" Kairi asked her friend, noticing Sora's sadness.

"It's just that my plan for going out here isn't going well at all," Sora said.

"Hey, I understand how you might have thought that the king and queen would have loosened up on the rules if you captured Flynn. But don't worry. I'm sure they'll forgive you in time," Kairi tried to cheer him up.

"It wasn't just that, though. I...I thought that when we got out here there might be at least a small chance that we would find my long lost sister. So we can be a family and everyone could be happy."

"Wow. I had no idea," Kairi was surprised to hear Sora's real reason for coming out here. "Hey, don't worry, Sora. I'm pretty sure that we may have a chance of finding her."

"You really think so?" Sora asked.

"Anything is possible. Besides, even if we can't find her we can still return home and you can reunite as a family," Terra, who had just arrived there, said.

"Terra? Where did you come from? I thought you disappeared when we went through the cave earlier," Sora was surprised to see Terra again.

"I ended up looking for you guys when I noticed you were not walking through the cave," Terra explained.

"Well, we ended up losing Flynn and Rapunzel. We have no idea where they went," Sora said with a frown.

"Well, you have Dolly and Da Vinci here. Maybe you can have them smell out the two of them," Terra suggested.

"That's a great idea, Terra! Dolly, Da Vinci, I know that you aren't the best when it comes to smelling, but right now we need to find Rapunzel and Flynn. Can you please try and help us find them?" Sora asked the two dalmatians. Both of them looked at each other for a minute and then turned back to Sora with a nod. They tried to sniff out the pair and eventually came up with the scent for where the two of them were. The pair then ran towards the scent. "Everyone, follow those two!"

And so the group ended up following after the two dalmatians. After some time of following them and searching, they eventually ended up near a river. Fortunately, when they reached the river close to sunset, they found both Flynn and Rapunzel.

"Hey guys! We finally found you!" Sora was relieved to see the pair were doing okay.

"Hey Sora, Terra, Kairi! It's great to see you again. How are you guys doing?" Rapunzel asked the group.

Before any of them could answer the question, they were interrupted by a voice, "Yeah. I'd think we'd all like to know how they are doing." Upon turning to look across the river, the trio saw that Roxas, who was with everyone else aside from Gothel, was the one who said that, and he did not look happy. In response, Sora laughed awkwardly.


	9. Siblings Fight

**Enjoy and Review! Thank you!**

Later that night, Sora and the gang were sitting off to the side while Rapunzel was going to help Flynn with his hand wound. During this time, Roxas and Aqua were scolding Sora for his rash decision.

"How could you leave like that?! You know we aren't allowed to leave the castle without the guards! What if we get caught? Oh, who am I kidding? We likely have already been found out and are going to get in trouble back at the castle!" Roxas yelled.

"I agree with Roxas. I understand that you wanted to have more freedom and to help this Rapunzel character, but do you know how much you're likely to worry your family should they find out you're gone?! You're just lucky Ventus is trying to cover for you and the others!" Aqua shouted disapprovingly.

"Wait, Ventus is covering for us? That's a relief. Still, even with that we are really pushing our luck to the max! We need to go home now!" Roxas demanded.

"But Rapunzel needs us if she is to see the lanterns tomorrow," Sora said.

"Why does she need your help, anyway? I understand that Gothel is protective of her child like our parents are, but why doesn't she just take her tomorrow without our help?" Roxas questioned.

"Because it is her birthday, just like it is for our missing sister! I just thought that while we were out we could change everything by finding our sister! Why can't you understand that?!" Sora yelled out, causing Roxas to be shocked.

Sora ran off with tears in his eyes. It took a moment but Roxas ran after his brother yelling, "Sora wait!" When he finally caught up to him Sora was crying by the river with his arms wrapped around his legs. Roxas slowly walks towards his brother and sits next to him.

"Hey." Roxas says.

Sora doesn't say anything and turns away from him.

Roxas sighs before saying, "Look, I didn't think you really thought that way about our sister."

Sora, at this, finally spoke. "Really? You didn't think that our whole family is miserable because one of our family members is missing? You never thought that way?!"

Roxas flinched in response to this, now remembering what Ventus had guessed earlier. "Okay, fair enough. On second thought, maybe I did think you felt that way before. I just never thought that you obsessed about it before. You always seemed so happy."

"I am happy about a lot of things. That doesn't mean I can't be sad, though. And our missing sister and the effect it has on our family is the biggest source of sadness for me and everyone else. I guess part of why I want to help Rapunzel so much is that she reminds me so much of me. A happy soul that can feel sad. But that isn't the only reason. I also thought that maybe she is our sister. After all, she has the same hair and eye color and the same name. I know it sounds silly, but it's true," Sora explained, pouring his heart out.

"Yeah, when I saw her I thought the same thing," Roxas revealed.

"Really?!" Sora started to get his hopes up.

"But..."

"But?"

"Sigh, The others and I meet her mom."

"Was she the same woman?"

"No. She was way too young to be the old witch," Roxas said as he shook his head sadly.

"Oh. For a second there I was getting my hopes up," Sora said, disappointed.

"I know. Anyway, I'm sorry for the way I was behaving. I just didn't want to see any of us getting into any trouble. We'll take Rapunzel to see the lanterns tomorrow. I'm sure her mother will understand," Roxas apologized.

"Apology accepted. Speaking of which, where is Rapunzel's mother?" Sora asked.

"She told us to look elsewhere for her daughter while she went to the spot where the tunnel was supposed to end. How about we look for her in the morning?" Roxas suggested.

"Yeah. By the way, we owe Ventus big time. If it weren't for him, our parents would kill us," Sora said.

"And Riku, Namine, and Cass. They didn't rat us out when the guards found them."

"I owe all of you big time for even following me on this crazy adventure."

"Hey, I couldn't let you get in trouble without backup. Besides, that's what family is for," Roxas said.

"We need to get back to the others. They are probably really worried by now."

"Yeah, lets go," Roxas agreed.

* * *

"What do you think is taking them?" Aqua asked the others.

"I don't know. Sora looked very upset when he left. It's been a long time since I've seen him like this," Riku answered.

"It makes sense, though. He wanted to return things to being happy for everyone by finding their missing sister, only for Roxas to indirectly push that sensitive button," Kairi explained.

"So, do you think we should take her to see the lanterns tomorrow?" Xion asked. "After all, we don't know if Flynn can be trusted to keep her safe."

"I don't know if we should or not. After all, it's not really our business," Terra reminded.

"I asked Rapunzel before we were asked to be separate from them, and she thinks that Flynn may have some good in him. Besides, she has a bargaining chip to keep things going her way," Namine said.

"I still think we should capture Ryder. He's been a thorn in Corona's side for the longest time now," Cassandra bluntly said.

"B-But if we do that then he'll be killed!" Namine, Xion, and Kairi yelled, horrified.

"Maybe, but doesn't he deserve it for being a criminal for so long?" Cassandra tried to reason.

"Maybe, but death is a horrible punishment, even for him," Riku pointed out.

"I agree, but he still should be taken into custody and punished in some way," Aqua reminded everyone.

"How about we let him remain free until the festival is over. Then, we can take him into custody. If he behaves himself then we can convince the king and queen to not hang him for his crimes," Terra decided.

"Good call, though either way I hope we don't have to take things to such an extreme," Xion said.

"Yeah. Rapunzel really has wanted to see the lanterns and the world outside her tower. She would be devastated if she couldn't go to the festival," Kairi said.

"Speaking of which, is it just me or does Rapunzel remind me of the lost princess?" Namine asked the others.

"Maybe a little, but it could just be coincidence," Cassandra pointed out.

"I don't know. You said that she's eighteen years old, right Kairi?" Riku asked.

"Yes. She also has the same eye and hair color as her," Kairi confirmed.

"Maybe, but remember that the one who took her was old. Unless she found a way to get younger, I doubt that it really is her, as coincidental as it may be," Aqua reminded.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dylan was in the middle of scolding Dolly for her reckless actions.

"I can't believe you, Dolly. You let Sora leave the castle and on top of that put him and Da Vinci in danger! Do you have any idea of the trouble you could get us all in if we get caught?!" Dylan yelled.

"I know that! What I don't know is why you can't let me and the other pups have any fun, you boring stick in the mud?!" Dolly countered.

"I'm not trying to be a "boring stick in the mud!" I'm trying to make sure our family takes care of the royal family and has a roof over our heads!" Dylan pointed out.

"Okay, I get it! You're the responsible one and you're always right! I can never be right compared to your obvious greatness!" Dolly sarcastically and bitterly yelled.

"Hey don't mock me! You know it's hard work being a guard dog for Ventus! You should be more responsible when it comes to you watching Sora!" Dylan argued.

"So that's it? You're saying that there's something wrong with me? That I'm bad and wrong while you're mom and dad's favorite?! Even when I am just trying to help Sora and his family?! Well then. I guess that I should never return home if that is the case! Enjoy living in the lap of luxury, Dylan, because that is the place you were obviously born for!" Dolly yelled as she ran off.

Dylan may not have seen it, but there were tears rolling down Dolly's face as she ran off.

* * *

A few minutes later, Sora and Roxas returned to the rest of the group.

"You guys are back!" Kairi was happy and ran up to hug Sora.

"So, are you guys feeling better now?" Riku asked the pair.

"We talked it out and we're doing better now," Roxas answered. "Right, Sora?"

"Yeah, Roxas. Tomorrow, we're going to take Rapunzel to see the lanterns," Sora revealed.

"Are you sure? You can easily get caught if you go back to the capital and don't return home," Aqua reminded them.

"I know, but we can't exactly abandon her either," Roxas explained.

"I do agree that it would be right to help Rapunzel, but like Aqua said you could get into serious trouble if caught," Xion warned.

"I have an idea. Maybe Aqua and Cass can return to the castle to help Ventus cover for them. I'll stay with everyone else and help Rapunzel," Terra suggested.

"You know what? That isn't a bad idea. Thanks. We'll be sure to be careful not to get caught in the meantime," Namine thanked Terra along with Cass and Aqua.

"Well, we better head on back in order to help Ventus," Aqua said.

"Hold on! I want to stay out here and help! Why can't I stay out here with everyone else?" Cass protested.

"I'm sorry, Cass, but we need people that know the castle well in order to make sure we can keep the secret from the king and queen. Come on, please?" Aqua asked Cass.

After a minute of thinking, Cass finally decided, "Fine. I'll go with you. But I don't like it. I don't trust Ryder at all."

"Well, we'll see you two later," Riku said.

"Yeah. Good luck!" Kairi said.

"With luck, we'll see you guys again tomorrow night," Xion said.

"Bye, you guys," Aqua said as she and Cass left.

At this, the group returned to Rapunzel and Flynn. Rapunzel was acting a bit strange, but they chalked it up to nervousness about seeing the lanterns the next day. In about an hour, everyone fell asleep, ready for whatever the next day had in store for them.


End file.
